Michael Patrick obituary

Actor and writer who confronted his motor neurone disease diagnosis in his work, and went on to play Richard III

When Michael Patrick became the first actor in Ireland’s theatrical history to portray Richard III as a wheelchair user, he was determined that neither his nor his character’s disability be seen as part of the play’s inherent tragedy.

Instead, as he explained in an interview with the Guardian at the time, he used his still recent diagnosis of motor neurone disease to inform a new understanding of one of the greatest plays in the canon. “It’s less about the disability being the tragedy, and it’s more about people’s reaction to the disability being a tragedy, if that makes sense. Because, you know, in an ideal world, Richard could be in a wheelchair and he could still do all the things he wants to do,” he told me ahead of opening night.